Film-drying apparatus



FILM DRYING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 22. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 73 fif- (i 7 7 g 52 I 3 k 32 K Y \HKY :3

21 cm 35% E GZ MM Jan. 1 1924 G. W. CARLETON ET AL FILM DRYING APPARATUS Filedoct. 22, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented J an. 1, 1924.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

GIDEON w. cARLE'roN ANI) HERBERT o.cARLE'ro1 \i, or NEW YORK, N. Y.; SAID GIDEON w. cARLE'ron ASSIGNOR To earn HERBERT o. cARLE'roN.

FIIlM-DRYING APPARATUS.

Application filed. October 22, 1920. Serial No. 418,839.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GIoEoN W. CABLE- :rou and HERBERT O. CARLEroN, citizens of the United States, and residents of the city of New York, in ,the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Film-Drying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in driers, being more particularly intended for application to the treatment of motion picture films to dry.the same after the latter have been subjected to the various baths incidental to the development of the photographic impression thereon.

The invention has for a general object to provide an improved type ofdrier which will operate with-increased efficiency.

More specifically the invention has for an objectto provide a drier through which the film travels in a continuous strip which is readily accessible at all times, and in which expansion or contraction of the film is accommodated.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth. 7

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a front view, partly in longitudinal vertical section, of a drier constructed according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section on the] line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 isa fragmentary longitudinal section showing a modified form of drier.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the air jet device employed in the modified form of drier.

Briefly speaking our improved drier comprises a cabinet divided into sections through which the film successively passes, compensating devices being provided in connection with each section to accommodate variation in the length of the film due to shrinkage, patching of broken ends, or other reasons, variable speed devices being a so provided in zontal position as shown.

connection with the individual sections, and with a receiving device to which-the film passes from the drier, to permit of regulation of the compensating devices.

As here embodied the drier comprises a closed cabinet 1 which is hereshown as divided into three compartments .or sections by partitions 1'. These compartments may each be provided with glass doors 2 to permit of read inspection of the film passing therethroug Inlet and outlet conduits 3 and 4 respectively communicate with the bottom andtop of the compartments of the cabinet, these conduits connecting to a heater or other means for heating or treating the air supplied to the drier.

The film, which isindicated at Xand may be fed to the drier direct from a developing apparatus or otherwise, as desired, is advanced in vertical loops orreaches through the cabinet, entering and leaving the latter through suitable apertures in the upper portions of the end walls thereof. The film is fed through the cabinet by a horizontal shaft 5, supported in suitable bearings on a rail 6 extending longitudinally of the cabinet near the to thereof. The rail 6 supports a plurality o rollers 7 and 8 which are spaced throughout the length of the cabinet in the different sections thereof and over which the upper ends of the loops of the film are passed, the lower ends of the loops being engaged by the compensating devices of which there is one for each section.

Each of these compensating devices comprises an arm 9 hinged at one end, as atilO, tothe cabinet to swing in a vertical plane and having mounted thereon a series of rollers 11, the arms normally assuming a hori- The rollers 7 and 11 are idler rollers and may be rotatably mounted on pins 13 and fixed in the rail 6 and arms 9, these rollers preferably running onv anti-friction bearings.

The rollers 8 are toothed to constitute 100 having fixed thereon bevel gears 16 mesh- 105 ing with like'ge'ars 17 on the shaft 5 whereby these rollers are driven from the shaft 5. Any requisite number of these toothed rollers may be provided to properly feed the film, in the presentinstance 01 .62% be g one located at the entrance to each section and at the exit end of the last section. The film coming from the drier may be wound upon a reel 18 mounted on an arbor 19 supported on the end of the cabinet and driven by a vertical shaft 20 connected by suitable bevel gearing with the shaft 5 and arbor 19, a sli clutch 21 being placed in the shaft 20.

is previously stated means are provided for varying the speed of travel of the film as it passes from the different sections of the drier this means being arranged to permit of increasing the rate of travel of the film in each of the later sections of the drier and of the receiving device over that in the immediately preceding section, the change speed devices being applied to the shaft 5 at the exit ends of the different sections, that is to say at the point where the film leaves the last of the rollers 11' of each arm 9 and'enages the adjacent drive'roller 8, to which l atter the increased speed may be imparted.

Each of these change speed devices may comprise a short shaft 23 journaled in a bracket 24 on the rear wall of the cabinet and having gears 25 and 26 of different diameters on opposite ends thereof which mesh with gears 27 and 28 on the adjacent ends of the sections of the shaft 5. The gear 27 is fixed on its shaft section, while the gear 28 is loose on the adjacent shaft section and adapted to receive driving engagement with the latter from a double face clutch sleeve 29 feathered on the section of the shaft on which gear 28 is mounted and movable along the said shaft section by means of a yoke 30 on a rock shaft 31 operated through the arm and link device, indicated generally at 32, from a handwheel 33 suitably mounted on the front wall of the cabinet. Each of the gears 27 and 28 has a clutch face formed on its hub for engagement with the clutch sleeve 29. When the clutch sleeve 29 is engaged with gear 27 as shown in Fig. 4, the two adjacent sections of the shaft are direct connected to rotate in unison, since gear 27 is fixed on one section and gear 28 has a feather connection with the other section. The gears 25, 26 and 28 then rotate idly. When clutch sleeve 29 is moved to engage gear 28 the driving connection from one shaft section to the adjacent one is through gears 27, 2'5, shaft 23, gears 26 and 28, and from the latter to the clutch sleeve 29. The section of shaft 5 on which the clutch sleeve 29 is feathered is then driven at a faster rate of speed than the other section, because of the larger diameter of gear 27 than gear 25.

Inconnection with each of the arms 9 we preferably provide signal devices adapted to give warning in the event of any of the arms swinging either upward or downward from their normal horizontal position, as might be caused respectively by shrinkage of the film or by the latter breaking. Each of these signal devices comprises a pair of vertically spaced contact strips 35 and 36 mounted on an insulating base 37 flush with the face thereof and adapted to be engaged by a spring pressed contact button 38- carried on the arm 9, these cont-act strips being arranged to be spaced respectively above and below the button when the arm is in horizontal position. These contact buttons and strips act as switches to close circuits through electric lamps 39, of which there is one for each section of the drier, and which may be conveniently located at the top of the respective sections when the buttons make contact with either of the strips, it being understood that a bell or other device may be provided in conjunction with, or in place of, the lamp. The electrical connections may be made in any well known manner to close the circuits through the respective lamps, one side of each circuit being connected to abutton 38 and the other to both of the co-operating strips 35 and 36.

In Figs. 5 and 6 we show a modified arrangement in which, instead of supplying treated air to the cabinet as a whole, we provide a series of devices adapted to direct jets of air upon the film to dry the same as it passes through thecabinet. These air jet devices comprise elongated open ended vertical casings 40 through which the film passes. The air is directed into this casing by inclined nozzles 41 arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the casing, which project from tubular elements 42 through suitable apertures in the walls of the casmg. These tubular elements 42 may be connected to any suitable source of compressed air su ply. The nozzles 41 are inclined opposite y to the direction of travel of the film, Fig. 5

showing these air jet devices applied both to the upwardly and downwardly moving reaches of the film, it being understood that the construction of the drier is in other respects the same as shown in Fi s. 1 to 4.

The shaft 5 may be connecte to an electric motor or any suitable source of power. By means of the arrangement of compensating and change speed devices expansion on contraction of the film or other variation in length due to patching of broken ends is taken care of while a signal is given in the event of breakage of the film in any section, or of undue expansion or contraction thereof.

What We claim is as follows:-

1. In a drier for films, means for feeding the film including two series of rollers be* tween which the film is looped back and forth, and an arm hingedat one end and hlaving the rollers of one series spaced therea ong.

2. A drier for films arranged in a num; ber of sections, means for feeding the film through the drier comprising two series of rollers between which the film is looped back and forth, and separate arms hinged at one end in the respective sections, each' arm carrying the rollers of one serles lo-' and forth, a hinged arm carrying one series of rollers, a contact member carried by said hinged arm, and a air of vertically spaced contact members a apted to be engaged by said first contact member when the said arm swings from normal position.

Si ned at New York city in the count of K ings and State of New York, this 29t day of Sept, A. D. 1920.

. HERBERT O. CARLETON,

, GIDEON W. CARLETON. 

